Ken McClure: Chameleon

'Looks like it's really hit the fan this time,' he said as they waited for the gateman to come over and inspect his ID card.

'I thought you'd left sir?'

'So did I.'

The gateman moved the crowd back with difficulty and opened the gate so that Jamieson could proceed. Sue felt uncomfortable with so many people looking in at her through the window. She felt like an inanimate object in a glass case and said so.

'We'd better let Crichton know that we've arrived,' said Jamieson as he brought the car to a halt outside the administrative block.

'I'll wait,' said Sue.

Jamieson got out of the car and swung the door shut with one hand before running up the steps of the main office building two at a time. His feet squeaked on the newly polished linoleum as he made his way along the corridor to Crichton's office and knocked on the door.

'Who is it?' came the voice from inside. There was a slight note of surprise in the voice and Jamieson knew that this was because he had short circuited the receptionist and secretary to come to the side door of Crichton's office.

'Jamieson,' he replied, looking round the door. 'I just popped in to say that I'm back.'

Crichton indicated that he should come in and sit down and then returned to his telephone conversation.

'I'm sorry we have no further comment to make at this time,' said Crichton. 'No nothing!' He put the phone down and rapped his fingers on the desk in frustration.

'Problems?'

Crichton raised his eyes and said, 'I'll say. One woman has died so far in this latest outbreak and three more are gravely ill. The newspapers have got hold of it and are howling for someone to blame. The Conservative group on the council are blaming bad management for falling standards of hygiene in the hospital. The Labour group are blaming Government cuts and understaffing for the problem. Either way this office seems to be the front line.'

'Has the lab report on the saline come through yet?'

'Yes, half an hour ago.'

'Is it the Pseudomonas or the Staphylococcus this time?' asked Jamieson.

'Neither,' replied Crichton.

'I don't understand,’ said Jamieson.

'I'm not sure I do either,' said Crichton adopting a pained expression. 'But the lab says that once again it is an entirely different organism.'

'A third bug!' exclaimed Jamieson. 'This is getting absolutely ridiculous.'

'The outside world agrees — and by the way, the outside world is baying at the gates…'

'I saw them on the way in,' said Jamieson.

'To them, the hospital is a cesspool of infection and we, the staff, are all doing our best to cover it up.'

'Surgery in Gynaecology has been halted?'

'Of course.'

Crichton's telephone rang again and Jamieson got to his feet to leave. 'See you later,' he whispered as Crichton picked up the receiver.

Jamieson and Sue settled in to their old room in the residency. They didn't say much for both were feeling depressed at being back. There was a knock on the door and Jamieson opened it to find Clive Evans standing there.

'I saw your car,' said Evans, scratching his head as he came in.

'So it has started all over again?' said Jamieson.

''Fraid so and worse than ever.'

'Any ideas?'

'We know that the saline drip bottles were the source of the outbreak this time. Mr Morton worked that out and thank God he did before even more women were infected.'

'Crichton tells me that it's yet another bug?'

'That's right. It's a Proteus this time and…'

'Don't tell me. It's resistant to antibiotics just like the other two organisms?'

'I'm afraid so,' agreed Evans.

'Antibiotic synergism tests?'

'They are under way. Nothing yet.'

'Get some off to Sci-Med will you. They are going to work on it too.'

'Very well.'

'Have you had full biochemistry done on the bug?' asked Jamieson.

'Not yet. There hasn't been time.'

'Sci-Med will do that too. Get the bug to them as quickly as possible and then we can have a look at all three reports.'

'Three?' asked Evans.

'Oh yes I didn't tell you. Moira Lippman had the Staphylococcus analysed by the Sci-Med lab. I think that that's what she wanted to speak to us about before she died.'

'Really?' said Evans. 'What did the report say?'

'There are several discrepancies between the actual report and how the book says a Staphylococcus should behave just like there was in the case of the other bug.'

'Did your people have any comment to make about that?' asked Evans.

'I haven't asked them yet. I was lulled into believing that this business was over. But if we get the same sort of report this time there must be something in it. Something we have been missing.'

'If you like I could drive over to the county lab and ask them to carry out the tests on the latest bug? It might be quicker.' said Evans. 'We'd save a day.'

'Good idea,' said Jamieson. 'But do both. I want Sci-Med to work on the treatment angle. I'm going to be busy here tracing the history of that batch of saline and trying to find out how it got contaminated. Will you be OK on your own Sue?'

'Of course. Is there anything I can do to help?'

'I don't think so at the moment,' said Jamieson. 'How about you Clive? Need any help?'

'I'll call you if I think of anything,' said Evans. 'Thanks.'

Evans and Jamieson left Sue and walked over to the lab together, Evans to phone the county lab to warn them about the samples he would be bringing over and Jamieson to start work down in his old room in the lab.

'I've collected all the information I thought you might need about the contaminated saline,' said Evans as they reached the steps leading down to the microbiology department. 'I've left it on your desk but I don't think you will find anything there. I've already been through it pretty thoroughly. If there's anything else you need, just ask one of the technicians.'

Jamieson closed the door of the small room and took off his jacket. He sat down slowly on the swivel chair and felt depression settle on his shoulders like a lead collar. He had returned to the realms of a bad dream. There was a closed cardboard file lying on the desk in front of him; he flipped it open. He knew that he would have to examine all the files pertaining to the contaminated saline as a matter of routine but there was such a feeling of deja vu about it. He knew very well that all the paperwork would be perfectly in order, just as it always had in the past.

An hour later and Jamieson was proved right. The sterilization procedures had apparently been faultless; all the proper checks had been performed and there was no obvious way that the saline could have become contaminated with anything at all let alone a deadly new organism. This particular batch of saline had been delivered directly to the Gynaecology Department and of course, there could have been no interception by Thelwell this time. But despite all this, the saline had been contaminated and one woman had already died because of it.

In a search for alternative theories, Jamieson considered the possibility that the saline had been interfered with while it had lain in storage in Gynaecology. Was it even conceivable that the contaminated saline had been some awful legacy from Thelwell? Could he have infected it before he died? It had simply not been used at the time? Jamieson checked the dates of sterilization and delivery to the Department. It gave him a clear answer. It was not possible. Thelwell had already been dead for two days when the saline was sterilised and delivered to gynaecology. If it had been contaminated in the stores Thelwell had certainly not done it.

Jamieson turned his attention to the preliminary report on the new infection and decided that he needed to find out more about the organism. He went into one of the neighbouring labs and asked one of the technicians for some reference literature. The man reached up to the book shelf behind him and brought down a copy of McLennan's Microbiology in Medicine. 'You'll probably find all you want to know in here,' he said, handing it over.